March 2007

Third World LoveSketch of Tel AvivSmalls

Forget categories. The Israeli quartet Third World Love throws Middle Eastern, African and Latin music into a sonic blender alongside modern and old-school jazz sounds, coming up with a sweeping amalgam that’s as hard to ignore as it is to pin down. Avishai Cohen takes flight with trumpet and effects, growling, leaping and injecting rock energy at whim. Pianist Yonatan Avishai and drummer Daniel Freedman set up punchy, propulsive grooves that compel toe-tapping if not all-out dancing, and bassist Omer Avital ties it all together with a steady pulse. The mood sags late in the set, but the disc as a whole is bold and infectious.